Category: Red Wine

This past weekend was “Open that Bottle Night,” the special occasion created so you can open that special occasion bottle you wouldn’t open unless you had a special occasion.

Confused? It’s really just an excuse to drink a bottle you’ve been waiting to drink.

I opened the 2010 Pursued by Bear Cabernet Sauvignon. After seeing posts of people opening their bottles from the ‘40s and ‘70s, I wondered if we opened a bottle that was 60 years too young. But, my small cellar doesn’t have 40 year old bottles. And I had been wanting to open this one for awhile. So that’s that.

Now you’re asking about the photo with the scene from Sex and the City. In this scene Trey and Charlotte meet after she is almost hit by his cab. After this episode, you feel hopeful that Charlotte has finally met her person, but there is a lot more to learn about Trey.

Besides the fact that any night is a good night for SATC reruns, this is a key SATC moment and a season I could watch again and again (Samantha also tries Viagra and Carrie cheats on Aiden, it’s a big season… no pun intended), Trey MacDougal aka Kyle MacLachlan is the winemaker for Pursued by Bear.

So it was essential to watch his SATC debut while we drank one of his debut wines.

This bottle required a good decant. 2010 was very cool vintage in Washington State, so most require a few more years in the bottle. But, after a good decant, this wine is as smooth as Trey during that first meeting when he sweeps Charlotte off her feet.

The wine has acid and structure, it was rich and had earth, blackberry, plum and cinnamon.

It was an all night bottle (unlike Trey MacDougal) and the more time we spent with the wine, the more we liked it.

Lately, I have been all about whites. Even though it is prime red wine season, I’m consistently reaching for a crisp white.

Then, one night last week, when it was pouring and cold, a typical Seattle February evening, it was unanimously decided that it would be a night for red.

We chose the 2012 Château de Montfaucon “Baron Louis” Lirac, after a lively debate deciding between two Côtes du Rhône. “Lively debate” being between me and myself, while the somm and my boyfriend listened. (Bf has learned to entertain my indecisiveness like a champ).

The decision was a good one.

Our choice was from the Rhône Valley, not Châteauneuf-Du-Pape, but just across the river. Made from mostly Grenache, with Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre, this wine is velvety and smooth. Perfect for a rainy night. It has blackberry, spice and floral notes. Medium-bodied, with smooth tannins and slightly gamey. It went down very easy.